54. 9/03/11 - First Game of Independence: BYU 14, Ole Miss 13

 

            After decades of belonging to the same conference as their erstwhile rivals, the Utah Utes, the BYU Cougars decided to affiliate with the WCC for all sports, save football, when the Utes skipped town to join the newly minted PAC-12. Since the WCC didn’t have any football teams, the Cougars decided to become Independent in the biggest arena of all. Independence permitted the novelty of more potential matchups with teams from major conferences, including the powerful SEC. In their first ever matchup against the Ole Miss Rebels, the Cougars hoped to improve on their paltry 1-3 record against the nation’s premier conference.

            Defense ruled the first half. The Cougars lost 3 yards on their initial possession, and were forced to punt. After a miserable 11-yard punt, the Rebels started their first possession at the Cougar 28. Fortunately, the Cougar D was up to the task, with Uona Kaveinga forcing a fumble at the 21. The Cougars drove into Rebel territory, but were once again compelled to punt. The punting trend continued throughout the remainder of the half - for both teams. Finally, with just under 3 minutes remaining in the half, the Rebels drove to the Cougar 3. The Cougar D kept them out of the end zone, but the Rebels booted a 20-yard FG to take a 3-0 lead at the half.

            After an Ole Miss punt, the Cougars drove into Rebel territory on their first possession of the second half. A spectacular 25-yard catch by WR Ross Apo moved the ball to the Rebel 25. On second-and-7, BYU QB Jake Heaps went for the end zone, but was picked off by Charles Sawyer at the Rebel 4. Sawyer ran it all the way back for a Pick-6 and a 10-0 Rebel lead. The Cougars drove 66 yards on the ensuing drive, but were stopped at the Rebel 14. When the FG attempt sailed wide right, it appeared as if the Cougars were once again going to fall victim to the SEC mystique.

            As the fourth quarter got underway, the Rebels added to their lead with a 29-yard FG. Down 13-0, the Cougars clawed their way back with a 72-yard TD drive. After reaching the Blue Zone, Heaps dropped back into the pocket and spotted WR Ross Apo streaking through the end zone. Heaps hit him with a perfect pass for a 19-yard TD reception, keeping the Cougars’ hopes alive. The Rebels’ drive was stuck in reverse when they lined up at the 19-yard line for a desperation third-and-27 play. *As the ball was snapped, star LB Kyle Van Noy breezed through the lineman assigned to guard him and leaped on the startled QB at the 8 like a cougar bringing down a deer. The strip-sack knocked the ball loose, where another Cougar tried and failed to corral it. As the Rebels collapsed toward the end zone, Van Noy jumped to his feet and scooped up the fumbled ball at the 3. As two Rebels attempted to grab him, he dove into the end zone for the game-tying TD (#51), Justin Sorensen then booted home the extra point, giving BYU a 14-13 lead with 5:09 remaining. The Rebels reached midfield on their next drive, but turned the ball over on downs. The Cougs tried to run out the clock, but came up short on fourth-and-one with 0:39 remaining. Luckily, the Cougar D held once again, allowing the Cougars to survive their first excursion to The Grove, and start off their Independence experiment with a huge win.

Van Noy's fumble strip TD
Courtesy of BYU Photo


WR Ross Apo
Courtesy of BYU Photo

            The Cougars finished their first season of Independence with a 10-3 record, including a win against Tulsa in the Armed Forces Bowl.

 Game link: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ob3z8Qs6eHw

 *BYU Tv's Top 100 plays in BYU Football TV history (updated 12/12/20 - https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=xYzgPw-bQ_c)

 

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